Meet Max Amato

Max Amato is the Assistant Mining Manager at Silvi Stone of Belle Mead, where he supports daily quarry operations, oversees drilling, blasting, and stripping activities, and works closely with drivers to keep production running safely and efficiently. A graduate of Virginia Tech with a degree in Mining and Minerals Engineering, Max joined Silvi as an intern and quickly discovered that the company’s hands-on approach matched exactly what he hoped to find in the mining industry. Today, he brings both technical expertise and a passion for field work to the Belle Mead team.

 

---

 

Hometown

Pennington, NJ

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Mining and Minerals Engineering, Virginia Tech (2025)

Fun Fact

I restore and customize old, rusty Tonka trucks in my free time and share the rebuilds on my YouTube channel.

Positions Held at Silvi

I started as an intern, then entered the Leadership Development Program, and now serve as Assistant Mining Manager at Silvi Stone of Belle Mead.

Current Responsibilities

I was recently promoted to Assistant Mining Manager at Silvi Stone of Belle Mead. In this role, I am responsible for the drivers in the quarry as well as drilling, blasting, and stripping. On the driver side of my day, I focus on keeping as much equipment running as possible, making sure production stone is moving effectively and efficiently from the pit to the primary plant, and keeping stockpiles around the plant clean. On the blasting side, I make sure the blasters have stemming near their next shot, help plan future shots that align with our mine design, notify the drilling team of new areas of interest, and ensure the stripping crew is sending material where it needs to go.

Why I Chose Silvi Materials

Silvi Materials came to the Mining and Minerals Career Fair at my school during my junior year. After walking around the fair, Silvi’s internship program offered the most hands-on experience I had seen all day. I wanted to learn as much as possible during my summer, so I accepted the offer. It ended up being a great decision because I finally got to see the concepts I learned in school happening right in front of me, and I was given big responsibilities for an intern. Those responsibilities included running the Fines Recovery Plant and running the Lower Plant.

Favorite Silvi Memory

I’ve had many great memories at Silvi so far, but my favorite has to be replacing the springs under the screeners during my internship. The day started off cool and rainy, and I was bracing for a long, wet day. That morning, a mobile crane arrived to lift the screener so we could pull out the springs, and it was incredible to see because I had never been that close to a mobile crane before. A few hours later, after installing the new springs, the weather turned extremely sunny, hot, and humid — perfect timing for crawling inside the screener, which becomes like a giant oven in the sun, to tighten a few brackets. It’s a great memory because I remember talking with the mechanics, learning more about the equipment, and having fun the whole time while getting the job done.